Appropriate Disciplines

Course Description

This course has been approved by the New Jersey Occupational Therapy Advisory Council for 3.0 contact hours Pursuant to: N.J.A.C 13:44-5.4.

Physical Agent Modalities (PAMs) is designed to educate occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants in the use of electrophysical agents in the areas of electrical stimulation (pulsed, alternating, and direct current), and superficial and deep thermal agents (ultrasound, shortwave diathermy and laser). This course is also open to PT/PTAs and Athletic Trainers.
The biophysical principles of each physical agent will be presented. The physiologic effects, indications, precautions and contraindications will be emphasized, along with the best current practices. The appropriate selection and application of physical agents, based on the existing pathology, impairments, and functional limitations will be discussed, demonstrated, and performed by participants. Safe and effective parameter selection, dosing of intensity, and documentation of treatment will be emphasized during the lecture and laboratory portions of the course.
This course will prepare the participant in the theory of and clinical application of transcutaneus electrical stimulation (TENS), neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), functional electrical stimulation (FES), iontophoresis, phonophoresis, and continuous and pulsed therapeutic ultrasound. The course includes lectures, laboratory sessions and case studies.
The course length and content has been designed to meet the PAMs requirements of the specific states where it is offered. Please review the course Agenda below for any additional required content.

PRICING: Group pricing may be established by submitting the number of registrations listed in the pricing drop down (on next page). Employees of facilities that have established VitalStim groups may register at the same group level for PAMs. (Eg: HealthSouth is a Super Group for VitalStim so their employees may also register for this course at the Super Group rate.)

Joe Gallo

DSc, ATC, PT

Dr. Joe Gallo earned his BS in Physical Education and Athletic Training and his Master’s in Physical Therapy. He also holds a Doctor of Science degree in Physical Therapy. He currently serves as Director and Professor in the Salem State University Athletic Training Program. He also held faculty appointments in various physical therapy and physical therapist assistant programs in his over 20 year career as an educator. Dr. Gallo is currently a Certified Instructor for the VitalStim® Therapy Specialty Program teaching NMES for the treatment of dysphagia. He has taught over 300 continuing education workshops to rehabilitation specialists across the United States. Joe’s research on electrophysical agents has been published in the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, and the Chinese journal of Sportsmedicine. In addition to his teaching and research, Joe has also maintained clinical practice in a variety of settings throughout his career.

Financial Disclosures: Dr. Gallo receives an honorarium for speaking/teaching live courses through CIAO Seminars. He also receives royalties for the purchase of his recorded courses and the purchase of his Ultrasound book. Non-Financial Disclosures: Dr. Gallo uses modalities in his clinical practice.

The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.

CIAO is regognized on the NBCOT Provider Registry (meets PDU requirements for NBCOT)

CIAO is approved by the Board of Certification, Inc. to offer continuing education for Certified Athletic Trainers.

Reviews

"The instructor was very open to discussion & questions. He answered all of our questions well."

- Elizabeth, NJ / Oct 2018

"Joe was educational, interested, and relatable to our clinical implementation of the modalities. He was engaging and knowledgeable about the research, application, and implementation of treatments. "

- Elizabeth, NJ / Oct 2018

"This course was fantastic. I was engaged and learned so much relevant information about PAMS that I will build upon in practice."

- Elizabeth, NJ / Aug 2018

"Presentation was well run and organized; it really allowed me to learn and understand the learning materials in an efficient manner."

- Elizabeth, NJ / Aug 2018

"i had experience with PAMS before. after taking this course i have a deeper understanding of the parameters and why specific modalities are used and how. This makes it much easier to generalize & apply in practice. Thank you."

- Elizabeth, NJ / Aug 2018

"Joe and Lynas were great - would recommend this course & others by CIAO if all the staff are as wonderful. "

- Elizabeth, NJ / Aug 2018

"Joe was an excellent teacher. Lynas was also great and on top of everything, things ran very smoothly. I would recommend CIAO courses as a result of this"

- Elizabeth, NJ / Jun 2018

"Great course! Definitely increases the therapist's confidence in helping achieve their client's goals through integration of PAM into their treatment"

- Elizabeth, NJ / Jun 2018

"This program allowed me to learn relevant skills with use of modalities with an emphasis on functional performance. I am now armed to treat my patients in a more effective manner."

- Elizabeth, NJ / Jun 2018

"The course is very essential for my OT practice as an adjunct to the treatments provided to patients, more aware of the PAMS safety, pros and cons."

"made a very long course easy to go to; ample breaks to help learning process; lots of labs were very helpful"

- Elizabeth, NJ / Feb 2018

"only comment is to walk people through changing the settings to make sure everyone is on the same page rather than looking at the slide"

- Elizabeth, NJ / Feb 2018

"I understand there is a lot of material and I appreciated how time effective this course was but that being said I would have liked a little more time for peer discussion."

- Elizabeth, NJ / Feb 2018

"Thank you! very nice! I am Sabbath observant & very much appreciate that this course was offered Sun - Tues."

- Elizabeth, NJ / Feb 2018

"Dr. Gallo is very knowledgeable and gives excellent clinical applications to practice. Lynas is lovely, personable, professional and friendly"

- Elizabeth, NJ / Feb 2018

"Instructor did great job, very professional and engaging, accessible, even though I really only came for the E-stim portion the rest was interesting at least."

- Elizabeth, NJ / Feb 2018

"Well organized, educational great learning with hand on techniques! Speed was good clear. Highly recommend to faculty & PTA,PT"

- Elizabeth, NJ / Feb 2018

"Wonderful presenter. extremely knowledgeable. Always repeated atttendee's ?'s so everyone could hear. I've worked as a therapist for 40 years, and have gone to many, many workshops. This was as good as they get!"

- Elizabeth, NJ / Feb 2018

"This course was very well organized. I felt engaged - interested throughout the entire course. Even though Joe is a PT, he provided many examples that related to the functional activities OT's would perform/focus on."

- Elizabeth, NJ / Feb 2018

"more examples of proper documentation"

- Elizabeth, NJ / Feb 2018

"I suggest next time pick a place to host this course where parking is free :) This course was extremely informative and well organized. Thank you!"

"More examples of common scenarios we see in various clinics and demonstrating each modality in front of class prior to our lab would be helpful."

- Elizabeth, NJ / Feb 2018

"The instructor & Lynas were so wonderful and nice - I felt like I could ask any question. Joseph obviously very passionate on teaching and knowledgable on the subject. Perfect instructor for this course!"

- Clark, NJ / Oct 2017

"Great course, presenter, & Ciao rep. Pretty, fun and engaging"

- Clark, NJ / Oct 2017

"MOST ORGANIZED & WELL SEQUENCED SEMINAR I'VE BEEN TO. ADEQUATE EQUIPMENT, MATERIALS & RESEARCH EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE PRESENTED. VERY BASIC & EASY TO UNDERSTAND FOR YOUNG THERAPISTS FOR EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONALS LIKE MYSELF, IT'S A GOOD REVIEW."

- Clark, NJ / Oct 2017

"Dr. Gallo was an amazing knowledgeable presenter. He answered all questions and made me feel comfortable utilizing the equipment. Lynas was so friendly and welcoming making me feel extremely comfortable"

- Clark, NJ / Oct 2017

"Enjoyed learning the most recent and relative evidence and research on the various modalities and their application."

- Clark, NJ / Aug 2017

"Course was very educational, great presenter. enjoyed lab sessions"

- Clark, NJ / Aug 2017

"Presentation was engaging and topics and answers to questions were well-explained. Hands-on experience in small groups was key to skill development."

- Clark, NJ / Aug 2017

"Extremely professional & organized. Lynas, Great! So sweet & helpful. Joe presented this potentially "difficult" course as a college level class. He was the best I have had in many years. I am a CHT/OT with MS degree. Took 2 day PAMS 2 yrs ago but did not use e-stim or Ionto but now feel ready. :) Excellent excellent course. Excellent speaker/presenter. Funny. Easy to ask ? - Was not afraid to ask.Joe remembered specific ? I asked & he returned next day with answers or special handouts. So friendly & encouraging. Never made anyone feel stupid to ask ? I dressed 3 days of E-Stim info but he made it fun, fast paced, engaging & thorough. Tests on Fri & Sat scared me but forced me to learn! Thank you Joe & Linus!! :)"

- Clark, NJ / Aug 2017

"- Excellent course, Joe is a very knowledgable instructor with great enthusiasm and insight into the materials of this course."

- Clark, NJ / Aug 2017

"Please do not change a thing. The course organization, information delivery, lab application and clinical discussion was perfect. Joe was a phenomenal instructor and I wish I could have been his student. And Linas was such a wonderful presence!"

- Clark , NJ / Feb 2017

"Joe was a great presenter. Very knowledgeable and engaging."

- Clark , NJ / Feb 2017

"Course exceeded my expectations. I had a lot of fun and you all made 30 hours of teaching very enjoyable and harmless!"

- Clark , NJ / Feb 2017

"Joe made this course extremely engaging. He broke the material down into relatable, understandable parts. I would recommend this course to all of my colleagues. Linus was so very helpful, pleasant and organized!"

- Clark , NJ / Feb 2017

"The course was long, but is required to be, so difficult to change unless the NJ laws change. Practical experience was key."

- Clark , NJ / Feb 2017

"Fantastic pace and delivery by Joe Gallo: he made it all so interesting; it never felt like 30 hours!"

- Clark , NJ / Feb 2017

"Great course. I feel I have learned a great deal and have a much better understanding of PAMs now. Thank you for your great work."

- Clark , NJ / Feb 2017

"Well-organized presentation. Really helpful information/review. Labs were especially helpful and I was able to participate in every protocol presented."

"Great staff both the instructor and his assistant made everyone feel comfortable, extremely helpful! I have much more confidence in my clinical judgement in selecting appropriate modalities and I'm excited to start utilizing my skills!"

- Clark, NJ / Aug 2016

"The seminar was held at a convenience location. I feel confident that I will be providing tx backed by evidence-based research. Great presentation of dense material. Positive energy and enthusiasm displayed by the presenter, (Joe) , CIAO chique, (Lynas) and participants made it a cohesive learning experience. Thank you!"

- Clark, NJ / Aug 2016

"Joe Gallo presented information in a clear manner and easy to understand. Recommend use of videos during presentation of clinical treatment with use of electrotherapy."

- Clark, NJ / Aug 2016

"Joe was fantastic. In school I learned basic PAMS (a 45 minute lab to cover my knkowledge to be exact) and did not feel confident or ready to use as a clinician. However, now not only do I feel confident, I feel like I have the knowledge, evidence, and parameters to help improve the lives of my patients.
Joe was able to make a long three days entertaining and able to keep the course engaged!
He is very knowledgable and able to make me learn in a way that made me not doubt my knowledge as a clinician.
"

- Clark, NJ / Feb 2016

"Dr. Gallo was extremely knowledgeable. He conveyed information in a clear and manageable manner. I would highly recommend this course to any rehab professional."

- Clark, NJ / Feb 2016

"Very enjoyable and informative course!"

- Clark, NJ / Feb 2015

"Great course!! I now feel confident going back to work with the proper "ammunition" to ge my patients better using the modalities presented!!"

- Clark, NJ / Feb 2015

"Presenter's knowledge of evidence based practice is very beneficial. Extremely knowledgable and pleasant presentation techniques condusive to learning. Great course and highly recommend the 3 day format."

- Clark, NJ / Feb 2015

"Joe Gallo was an excellent presenter who made the seminar interesting. He had nice energy and was very pleasant. Lynas was very sweet and added to the energy of the course."

- Newark/Clark , NJ / Sep 2014

"Dr. Gallo is a very knowledgeable and excellent instructor. In addition, he is fun and interactive. I learned so much. I am grateful to have had him as my PAMs instructor."

- Newark/Clark , NJ / Sep 2014

"Job well done!! If you want to truly understand and group physical agent modalities, this is the course you take."

- Newark/Clark , NJ / Sep 2014

"I have been to a few PAMs courses and this was by far the most hands-on, research-based course. Very professional and organized. You demystified some of the more complex topics in PAMs. Well organized labs with lots of real-life use was extremely helpful and what I came for, thanks! Many of the PAMs are ntuitive. Except electrotherapy treatment and Joe took the mystery out of this modality!"

- Newark - Clark, NJ / Sep 2013

"The hands-on experience with the modalities presented is the best part of this semnar. Providing sanitizing cloth for sanitation purposes after each use of modalities is suggested. Clinical applications will make this course perfect. Citing diagnoses or specific impairment is one example."

- Newark - Clark, NJ / Sep 2013

"Great job explaining in detail everything about the modalities presented. Loved the evidence based research combined with experiential learning. Would strongly recommend to colleagues."